Savvy Entertaining

During the hectic holiday season it seems there are more opportunities to get all dressed up for a festive party or night out.

For me, I don’t feel completely “gussied up” unless I’m wearing my favorite perfume.While the scent of roses is one of my most favorite things on the planet, wearing perfume that smells like roses makes me choke and I don’t like it as a home fragrance either.

So how do you find that perfect scent for you?

Here are a few ideas:

• Try the scent two ways. First on a paper tester. If you like the scent of it on paper, test it on your inner wrist. Scents interact with skin’s chemistry and smell different on every one. Take off any jewelry and your watch before spraying because they can alter the scent.

• Limit the sample. Sniffing too many different fragrances will give you sensory overload (and quite possibly a pounding headache!). Limit your testing to four or five paper samples and no more than two wrist tests during any given shopping trip.

• Take a breather. Wait a few minutes between sampling fragrances to give your nose a chance to recover. A good tip is to bring along a plain, unscented facial tissue to sniff between samples. The neutral scent will help clear your sense of smell and get you ready for the next fragrance sample.

• Wear it awhile. You smelled a scent you love, but wait before you buy it. The first 15 minutes you wear a scent, you are just getting the top notes of the fragrance. The heart of it will show up after about 15 minutes and that is the smell you need to love because it is the one that will stick with you all day.

• Tune out distractions. The sense of smell works best in a dark, quiet environment – about the polar opposite of a perfume counter during the holiday season. So try to block out as much of the light and noise as possible. Close your eyes and savor the scent to get the full effect.

One tip I’ve relied on for years that has served me well is that once you find a perfume that is “yours” you won’t be able to smell it because it blends so well with your body’s own chemistry. I have found two that fit this bill nicely and wearing them always make me feel dressed up an special. Just remember less is more with perfume!

Happy Fragrance Shopping

She Who Loves Her Perfume